Improvement in iron fences



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

THOMAS ROBINSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

V IMPRQVEMENT IN IRON FENCES.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 175468, dated March 21, 1876; application led January 15, 1876,

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, THOMAS ROBINSON, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Iron Fences; and I do -hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation 5 Figs. 3 and 4, vertical sections, showing crimped pickets; Fig. 5, a perspective of improved rail. V

The object of my invention is to provide an improved rail for the receptionA of the pickets and stringers of an iron fence.

My invention consists, essentially, in the novel construction of said rail, as hereinafter more fully described, having reference particularly to the provision of right-angled channels or grooves in which the intersecting pickets and stringers iit and are retained, substantially as hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A designates my improved rail, intended to be made of cast or malleable iron.

Each section of the rail is intended to be made in one piece, of length sufcient to receive all the pickets of a panel, so as to produce a stiifness and homogeneity of said pickets not otherwise obtainable.

B B are the pickets, each of which rests in a groove or channel, a, formed by depressing the front of the rail A. C C are the stringpieces, fitting in the groove a' in the back of the rail, and passing between the said pickets and rail.

rEhe method of putting the parts together to form a panel is as follows: The two rails are first placed parallel to each other, face upward, at the required distance apart. The

pickets (which may, if desired', be crimped, as shown at b b) are then laid in the -grooves a a, and the string-pieces C C driven in endwise between said pickets and the rail, occupying the grooves a', and forcing the pickets tightly into the said grooves a.

By rightly adjusting the size of the various parts, the'passage of the stringers over the pickets will form a horizontal groove or channel in the latter, which will, in turn, be slightly sprung toward the back of the rail. The effect of this will be that when the panel is placed in position it will be quite impossible,

byjarring, or by any rough usage to Which a fence is ordinarily subjected, to displace the pickets, or to cause the rail to slide down upon them.

It will be noted that by forming the rail in the shape shown in Fig. l, each picket will be provided on either side with diagonal braces c o, the whole being firmly stayed between the posts to which the panel will be attached, so that the fence will virtually be as rigid and ufnyielding as if cast in one piece.

In Fig. 3 is shown a corrugated picket, which will permit the rail to be applied to a crimped portion of the-former at any desired position, this modification being specially adaptable to window and sand screens, to which purpose also, as well as to iron fences, the rail A may be applied.

What I claim as my invention isl. The continuous rail A, formed with open right-angled grooves a and a', for the reception of the pickets B and string-pieces G, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the continuous rail A, having right angled grooves a and a' formed in its front and back, the intersecting pickets B and string pieces C, the several parts being constructed and combined substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day ot' January, 1876.

THOMAS ROBINSON. Witnesses:

M. DANL. GoNNoLLY, CEAS. F. VAN HORN. 

